The Citroen Oli is an oddball electric concept we can’t help but love

By topgearsingapore, 08 October 2022

The Citroen Oli is an oddball electric concept we can’t help but love

This happy, squared-off fellow is Citroen’s latest concept, which it calls the ‘Oli’. And right out of the gate, it’s speaking our language. Well, apart from the French bit. We kind of just point and say ‘je suis desolate’ a bunch.

Anywho, to the language we actually do share: part one, point one of Citroen’s idea here is that "the time is right to say enough to the trend for excess and expense, and to focus instead on creating pure, honest vehicles that are lighter, less complicated and truly affordable, as well as inventive and joyful". If you summed up our entire position on cars with just this sentence, the only way to hit the nail on the head any better is if Thor had taken up a trade in carpentry. But you might be wondering how Citroen intends to achieve it.

Generally speaking, it comes down to serious simplicity and sustainability wherever possible. Those mesh seats, for instance, apparently use 80 per cent fewer parts than the sort you’d find in a new car today, and what little is there is made from recycled materials, which are in turn reusable and recyclable. This extends across the whole car – the floor is a sheet of polyurethane, which wears better than carpet and can be reused or recycled, while the stereo uses removable Bluetooth speakers that are lighter compared to a traditional setup and also offer the opportunity to take your bangin’ chunes wherever you’d feel best enjoying them. No judgement here – if you want to have a singalong on the throne, that’s between you and the Andrex puppies.

You might be wondering just how much weight this removable Bluetooth setup actually saves, given speakers still use heavy magnets. Well, it’s 250g. But as Gordon Murray (and indeed anyone with a rudimentary grasp of mathematics) would attest, save 250g four times and you’ve saved a kilo. And it’s clear that weight saving has been on the mind of Citroen’s CEO, Vincent Cobee.

TEXT Craig Jamieson

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